9 St. Patrick's Day Parties in Metro Phoenix: Food and Drink Edition

With St. Patrick's Day landing on a Monday, this year the celebration starts on Friday and goes for a long four-day weekend. That means there's every reason to partake in a little Irish culture with traditional food and all varieties of imbibing, whether you prefer after-work drinks on Friday, singing Irish drinking songs and downing green beers on Saturday, eating Irish-whiskey marinated salmon before a concert at the MIM on Sunday, or drinking with Verne Troyer (a.k.a. Mini Me) on St. Paddy's.

What better place is there in town to join the party than an Irish-owned, Irish-operated pub? The regular menu has all the typical bar food with a Celtic twist: Irish Reuben egg rolls, Irish corned beef tacos, Harp-battered onion rings, and Quigley's quesadilla topped with either chicken or corned beef. There also are large plates of Guinness lamb stew, bangers and mash, corned beef and cabbage boxty (Irish potato pancakes), and Kell's meatloaf sandwich with corned beef and bacon. Finish your St. Patrick's meal with Irish whiskey bread pudding.

For an upscale taste of a Celtic culinary traditions, there will be a very special St. Patrick's Day menu available on Monday, March 17. Executive chef Gordon Maybury, a Dublin native, will prepare his favorite Irish foods, including a full Irish breakfast in the morning. The lunch and dinner specials will include Irish venison, Irish nachos (with French fries instead of tortilla chips), and Brotchan Foltchep (leek and oatmeal soup), a standout dish from Maybury's childhood. He recommends "washing down these tastes of Ireland with such quintessential quaffs as Guinness stouts and Irish Flag cocktails." For reservation at Frank & Albert's (6 a.m. to 10 p.m.), call 602-381-7632; for dinner at Wright's (5 to 10 p.m.), call 602-381-7632.

Join in singing your favorite Irish drinking songs like "Danny Boy" at this piano bar. The Westgate bar and restaurant also will have $2 green beers and $10 corned beef and cabbage from Friday, March 14, to Monday, March 17. On St. Paddy's, there will be no cover, plus extra drink specials like $3 Guinness and $6 Irish Car Bombs. Reserve a spot at the party by calling 623-772-1500.

The Irish happenings at the Musical Instrument Museum include a menu of locally and sustainably sourced ingredients -- no green food coloring here! Available for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this weekend, March 15 and 16, are Irish chicken and cream soup with potatoes and leeks, roasted wild salmon marinated in Irish whiskey and honey, Irish stout lamb stew, and chocolate-orange Guinness cake with cacao nibs. The cultural celebration also includes live music from local groups Dé Máirt Ceol and the High Desert Harpers, performances by students of the Maguire Academy of Irish Dance, and Irish tales brought alive by the South Mountain Community College Storytelling Institute. All events are included with paid museum admission.

This West Valley spot, located near Peoria Sports Complex, will be having a four-day Luck O' the Irish party from Friday, March 14, to Monday, March 17. Not only are there plenty of drink specials, but the kitchen is cooking up made-from-scratch shepherd's pie ($10). Enjoy it with a $2 green house brew, $5 car bomb or shot of Jameson, $3 Guinness, $3 Milk Stout Nitro, or $5 Irish coffee. Call 623-776-2429 for reservations.

This Irish-themed restaurant at Westgate will be celebrating all weekend, starting with the 7 am Paddy-O Watch party to cheer on participants in the Kiss Me I'm Irish Run. But the big celebration is on Monday, when the "Wildest St. Patrick's Day Party" is hosted by Verne Troyer, best known for his role as Mini Me in Austin Powers. That kicks off at 9 p.m., but you can show up from 3 to 6 p.m. for happy hour with half-off appetizers and all beers on top. Or, be an early bird by stopping in from 9 to 11 a.m. for St. Patrick's Day brunch, featuring $1 mimosas and green beer and $5 bloody Marys. Call 623-872-0022 for more information and reservations.

This holiday is about more than green beer. Celebrate Irish culture with a St. Patrick's Day festival at this Tempe Marketplace restaurant. From Friday, March 14, to Monday, March 17, it will be decked out for the occasion with bagpipers, Irish dancers, and lots of hearty Irish fare like a lamb burger, beef stew, and potato-crusted salmon. Wash down the holiday specials with a Southwest Black and Tan: Guinness Stout with Four Peaks 8th Street Ale.

The festival is also a fundraiser for St. Baldrick's Foundation, which supports research regarding and raises awareness about childhood cancers; show your support by going bald (with professional hairdressing help) at the festival during Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

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If you're looking for a steady flow of green beer and a plate of typical Irish eats, head to Old Town Scottsdale this weekend. The St. Patty's specials start on Friday, March 14, and run through the holiday on Monday, March 17. Along with the regular menu, both corned beef with cabbage ($12) and bangers and mash ($14) will be available. There will be live music on the weekend.

For a rowdy celebration out with the lads, stop by any one of Tilted Kilt's five Valley locations. There will be several Irish-themed items on the menu, including shepherd's pie, corned beef served four ways, and the Paddy Bomb cocktail. Made with Three Olives Orange Vodka, Blue Curacao and Red Bull, it'll turn green before your eyes. And, of course, the Tilted Kilt girls will be representing Scotland, making this a St. Patrick's Day party that unites the UK.